The Jayapura Police have taken 21 civilians into custody for their alleged involvement with the separatist Free Papua Movement's (OPM) activities in Kampung Beraf, Nimbokrang district, Jayapura regency, Papua, on Sunday.

Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said it was suspected that the 21 Jayapura residents were returning from the inauguration of new members of the National Liberation Army for West Papua (TPN PB) by Terianus Sato, the army’s local leader.

One of 21 residents inaugurated at the event was reported to be under 15 years old.

Paulus said the police arrested the civilians as they were traveling on a truck.

When trying to stop the truck, officers allegedly heard shooting from inside the vehicle. Nimbokrang Police precinct chief Second Insp. Jerry, who led the operation, reported the incident to Jayapura Police deputy chief, Comr. Gustav Urbanus, who later ordered his members to pursue the group. "

"Twenty one people were arrested while others, including the civilian who allegedly committed the shooting, managed to escape,” Gustav said.

Waterpauw added that shortly after the incident, Jayapura police officers visited the location where the inauguration ceremony allegedly took place. They confiscated documents, including a number of striped-motive uniforms and banners emblazoned with writing related to the inauguration.

"From information we received, there were foreigners inaugurated at the event. We are still investigating the case,” said Waterpauw, adding that the 21 civilians arrested were being questioned at the Jayapura Police headquarters. (ebf)

Police report that many domestic violence cases happening in Manokwari, the capital city of West Papua province, were caused by the influence of liquor consumed by the perpetrators.

Manokwari Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Johnny Eddizon Isir di Manokwari said police would regularly conduct raids for alcoholic drinks in order to lessen the high rate of domestic violence.

“Distribution of liquor has been banned by local bylaw. However, we encounter difficulties because drinking alcohol has deep roots in society,” Eddizon said on Sunday, as quoted by Antara.

Without mentioning the actual number of domestic violence cases, he said banning the distribution of alcohol was not just a police duty and called on all parties, such as religious and customary leaders, to be involved.

Victor Mambor, editor of Tabloid Jubi and chair of the West Papuan branch of the Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), gave a harrowing account of the realities of “press freedom” at a seminar at the University of Auckland last week.

Sponsored by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, Mambor told the West Papua Action Auckland-organised seminar that there had been no real change in Indonesia’s policies over media access to West Papua.

Selective controls applied even though some Australian journalists, notably Fairfax Media’s Michael Bachelard and SBS Dateline’s Mark Davis – who reported in the region several times in the past posing as a tourist – had been allowed in under special visas.

Last week, two French journalists, 40-year-old Thomas Dandois and Valentine Bourrat, 29, were arrested in West Papua by Indonesian authorities while reporting under cover with pro-independence activists.

Struan Purdie is a BCS (Hons) student on the Inclusive Journalism Initiative (IJI) programme at AUT University on the Asia-Pacific Journalism course.